Nostalgia
by Marvy
Summary: on hiatus
1. Less and Less

_A/N: So...This is...going to be odd. I started it at eleven at night out of pure boredom, and was then late to school the next morning. Oh well. So, it's, basically, a GinnyxRemus fic with GinnyxSirius and GinnyxSnape undertones. Aside from that, there's RonxHermione and the basic cannon partners. The sixth book is completely acknowledged, though there is tweaking with the RemusxTonks pairing and the GinnyxHarry thing, as the latter never really happened. There will be mention of it, but it wasn't nearly as intense as Miss Rowling has it portrayed in her book. At least not from Ginny's perspective._

_Disclaimer: I don't own it, don't sue me. The plot is mine as far as I know, and the idea that I'm using for the last of the Horcruxes (if I ever get that far in the story) is as mine as I can think of. It's possible that it is shared with others, but I didn't steal it with any malicious intent. I know that JKR said what Ginny's middle name is...and what Remus' middle name is...but, quite frankly, I think they're boring and I don't like them. So I took my own creative license and am shoving it in your faces. Don't like it? Too bad._

OoO _is my sign for a skip into the past, _OoOoO _is my sign for skipping to the present, and _IiIiI _is for character third person point of view switch. Now, on to the story._

A frown took hold of the redheaded teenager's lips as she turned sideways in front of her long mirrored glass. She felt fat. She didn't _look_ any larger than normal, but something was off.

Pulling a mass of wavy crimson locks back away from her face, Ginevra Molly Katherine Arabella Guenevere Loba Weasley stuck out her little pink tongue at the reflection. The magical picture of herself put her hands on her hips and frowned in retort."Now dear, don't be so upset - you look _wonderful_!Another day, another chance. At least that lovely Lupin fellow has returned, no?"

Ginny blushed a little, dropping her hair before running her fingers through it. The aforementioned physical feature of hers was, perhaps, her most beloved. It wasn't quite curly, but was not straight either. It waved about like smoke, as silky as could be. The color was vibrant like nothing a brunette nor even a blonde could ever hope for. No matter how unattractive she ever felt, she would always love her hair.

It was odd to think that she would be at Hogwarts again, for her sixth year, while her brother, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger were all off fighting for what they all believed in, herself included. It was also odd to think that Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore was really, truly gone. In her fourth year, when that terrible Umbridge woman had come, she knew Dumbledore would return. It was inevitable...but now, she had seen the casket. She had seen the flames, she had most definitely seen, as well as _felt_, the finality of it all. Now it was over, at least for him. She hoped to Merlin that the fight was not. That Harry, Ron, and Hermione could fight this fight, along with the members of the Order which included several members of her family, and win. They _had_ to.

The last fight had been an ugly one - there had been casualties and injuries. Professor - or rather, Headmistress - McGonagall had possessed half a mind to close the school and make it a safe-haven for the fighters of the Order...This, however, did not coincide with what Dumbledore had wanted and therefore had not been done.

Ginny was currently placed in the headquarters for the Order - Number 12 Grimmauld Place. She couldn't say that she liked it much there, as no one was around a lot. It had been different, back when Sirius was alive. Even as solitary as the man had been, he had been more company than absolutely no one.

With another brief frown, Ginny remembered a time when Snape had come to the house unannounced. There had been no reason for him, no Order business to discuss. He had come to speak to her, to Ginny. There were whispered words and hush tones in the library and no one had ever been the wiser, no one had ever known.

Ginny regretted not speaking to him more - as much as she loathed him for what he did, for the way he had always been, she could not help but think he was truly innocent of anything entirely terrible. The death of Dumbledore, as devastating as it had been, was far too suspicious for Ginny's taste. Our youngest Weasley had become a very analytical individual, and she could not help but think that there was planning behind the operation.

As she pulled her hair back with a rubber band and brushed a few stray wisps of runaway hair from her eyes, she murmured something to herself about Draco Malfoy. About the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement. About the Horcruxes that she should have known much less about than she actually did.

Shaking her head of such thoughts, she retrieved her wand from her cast-aside robes, and moved out of her bedroom. She had the choice of any room in the house, really, but she always returned to the place that she and Hermione had once shared. For a day or two she had braved the attic, wanting to be where Sirius had been and all of those memories of him remained. Another day she tried Harry and Ron's room, but couldn't get a feeling of remorse out of her. About not being able to fight and a few other choice things. Once or twice she would sneak into the room that her parents had occasionally slept in, snuggling under the blankets to pretend that her mother's arms were around her as she cried for everything she could not fix or change. She missed her parents, but both Molly and Arthur Weasley were at the Burrow - _without _their daughter, as she had taken the job of keeping the Order's headquarters. Without a suitable maid or house-elf, there was much to be done.

The last room that she stayed in, the one that she frequented the most aside from her own, was, perhaps, Remus Lupin's.

She remained among his sheets, blankets, and pillows as much as she could manage without making it seem as if she had been there at all. Some days, or nights, she simply could not stay in it because Remus was in town. If he was not off on Order business, it was either That Time of the Month, or else he was preparing for his second year at Hogwarts - teaching, of course.

Ginny was under the assumption on that cool morning in early August that he would not be around for the day, so she began her daily rounds without a care as to the physical state she was in.

The witch in question had grown taller with each passing year, now even taller than Harry, making her well surpass her mother's height. Her face had lengthened a bit, no longer giving her the girlish round face of her childhood. Her blue-gray eyes possessed - for the most part - a serious, mature glaze to them; the glint of adventure that she had always held danced among such looks from time to time. There was a guarded air about her willowy frame, and contrary to her own belief, she was much skinnier than was, perhaps, healthy. She wasn't, by any means, purposely anorexic. One day bled into the next, and Ginny only ate when hungry - which, to be quite honest, wasn't very often. She was normally caught up in her thoughts, in a book, in her studying, or in her work for the Order which left little time to actually think about food, or even being hungry.

From the outside work she had done on the house - she loved the garden on the back of the lot, full of medicinal herbs and vegetables and fruits as well as simple flowers - she now had an array of freckles all over her skin, forming endless constellations without names that began on her forehead and ended on the tip of her pinky toe. Her cheeks seemed permanently sun-burned, a pink hue played there that never quite faded away, nor did she really seem to mind.

Taking the stairs slowly, Ginny trailed her hand over the rail at her side. Her light eyes drifted towards the dark wood there, remembering a day or two that she and Sirius had owned. They were perfect days in which no one could remind them of the war waging outside of their walls, no one could tell them to please act more mature, to take into account all of the horrid things that were going on. Instead, Ginny had helped Sirius to let go, even if it had only been for forty-eight hours.

OoOoO

Rapping her knuckles gently over the cool wood of the attic door, Ginny shifted her weight impatiently.

"Sirius," she murmured, moving to rest her hand on the doorknob, "Sirius, come out for breakfast."

"Leave me be," the older wizard had rasped out in a harsh undertone - his voice grated against her ears, sounding as if he was in dire need of water.

"Sirius..." Ginny frowned, furrowing her eyebrows. Her long, slightly pudgy fingers slipped over the metal of the handle and she twisted it - the door opened with surprising ease and Ginny pushed it to a wider angle.

"I told you to go away," the dark-haired man was curled atop the bed that had been moved to the upper-most part of the house for him. Sirius' sheets were a tangled mess of sweat and fabric, and every inch of skin above is waist would have been visible if hadn't been for the mass of aforementioned bedclothes.

Ginny wasn't particularly offended by the sight of man-flesh, as she had grown up with a plethora of it surrounding her daily. The only thing about the scene that really disturbed her were the many scars that striped Sirius' back in no particular pattern. Torture.

"You did," Ginny replied, moving into the room and standing beside the once-sleeping man. "But I didn't listen."

In a quick instant, Sirius' slim fingers had grabbed a handful of the front of Ginny's shirt and pulled her close to him, causing her to lean onto the bed. The off-balance situation had her tipping over and falling across him as he held her close.

His voice was harsh as he narrowed his bloodshot eyes at her, "Ginevra, you have not a clue what you just walked in on."

IiIiI

Sirius' mind swirled with thoughts that he knew he aught not be thinking. The petite, bouncy redhead had meandered into his room, clad in ridiculous Muggle clothes that left far too little to the imagination. Then she had the audacity to approach his bed, standing at an angle that helped the old man with his lecherous thoughts. She was a demon with an angel's face, he knew. He had woken up with a raging hard-on, and the apparition of the only female that could stand his presence besides his cousin was too much for him.

Pushing the little girl onto the bed beside him, he held her there with one hand as he propped himself up on his other elbow.

"Sirius," Ginny furrowed her eyebrows, wrapping her fingers around his bony wrist. The touch made him shiver, which only enhanced the curious look on the younger witch's face. "Sirius, what are you doing?"

Ginny had no trace of fear in her voice, which unnerved Sirius. He had expected her to protest, to scream, to cry. Why had he thought she would do that, though? He knew that she was too naive to think he would _do_ anything to her...or, maybe she knew? Maybe she had expected -wanted, even - this to happen...she had to have known when she heard his voice...She couldn't be _that_ innocent...

Sirius' hand left her chest and moved to smooth her hair before he let out a strained sigh of frustration. Kissing her forehead, he pushed himself away from her a little and sat up. His sheets fell from his shoulders and pooled around his waist. He made no move to adjust them and Ginny made no comment, no plea for him to do such a thing.

"I don't know, Ginny," Sirius finally replied, leaning back against the headboard of his bed. Closing his eyes, he folded his hands over the sheets in his lap. The sound of Ginny's breathing made his own breath hitch a little.

"Hmm...Aren't you hungry?" she murmured, lifting up his arms to lay across his lap. Sirius' eyes opened quickly and he tensed a moment before he relaxed into the situation. There was enough fabric between his skin and hers to protect him from anything too terrible, though he could feel the heat of her against his bare stomach.

Her question made him chuckle in a reply to a dirty thought, and his hand started atop her head to smooth her hair again. It soon traveled over her arm, though, and across her waist.

Ginny laughed, squirming a little, "That tickles, Sirius..."

Sirius bit his lip, half-tempted to reply, 'I know something else that tickles...' but he did not. Instead, he proceeded to tickle her more fervently before she sat up, half on his legs and half on the bed.

"You never answered my question," she murmured, taking his hands in hers as she looked up at him with a mixed expression on her face.

"Yes. Ginny. I'm ravenous," he answered, removing his hands from her gasp to wrap his arms around her in a gentle hug. He kissed the top of her head, then her forehead, then her nose. He stopped himself as he leaned in to press his lips to hers. She had her eyes closed, however, and she was grinning. It was good, for him at least, that she hadn't seen him. He didn't have any idea what would've happened if she had been aware.

IiIiI

Or if he had known that she had been aware.

Ginny opened her eyes slowly, looking up at him before she herself craned her neck a little to kiss his chapped lips briefly.

Sirius gasped, only slightly, as he felt the warm wetness of her mouth against his and it was all he could do to control himself enough to not intensify the kiss. It remained innocent and Ginny pulled back shortly thereafter, kissing one cheek before the other and then sat back after taking his hands again.

Ginny noticed with a gentle smile that Sirius was hardly reacting well to her kiss - she could tell that when he meant 'ravenous' he was not referring to food.

"Well," he breathed, reaching out distractedly to brush a nonexistent strand of hair from her gaze.

"Well," Ginny spoke, her voice cheery and innocent, "I do suppose we should go downstairs. I can hardly feed you here."

IiIiI

'_Merlin knows you could, Ginevra_,' he replied in his mind, though he remained silent. He smiled a little and Ginny removed herself from his lap.

"Come along then," she beckoned to him from the doorway. "It's only us, no worries about being 'decent'."

'_If decency were an issue, my dear..._' he thought absently, lifting the sheets to stand. He was thankful for his loose pajama bottoms as he realized just how bad his want was while he walked towards her. He felt distinctly like both Humbert Humbert and The Big Bad Wolf all in one. He had never been a professor, nor was he a wolf. This should have been Remus in the predicament. Sirius knew, however, that Remus would never let himself be in the state that he was in then.

IiIiI

Ginny tugged Sirius out of his room and down the stairs, though she stopped midway. With a glimmer of childish curiosity in her eyes, the youngest Weasley slipped one leg over the smooth wood of the rail. "Sirius, run down to the bottom of the stairs..."

Sirius looked at her in confusion and all Ginny did was laugh and cling to the slender surface with her two legs and one of her arms. With her free arm, she beckoned in the direction of the bottom of the stairway and repeated herself. "Go down to the bottom of the stairs and catch me, will you?"

Sirius obliged, skipping a few steps as he came to stand where she had requested of him. Ginny let go and slid down, bum first, into Sirius' arms.

As she came to stand, she was pressed heatedly close to Sirius' body and it was all she could do to not kiss him again - her desire to do such was out of simple wonder, as she was merely fourteen. She wanted to know what it felt like to really kiss a grown man, to be in the arms of someone that shouldn't - by most social standards, at least - even be _thinking _about thinking about having you in his arms. Ginny had no desire to get Sirius into any sort of trouble, but she wanted to know. Quite badly.

Slipping her bare arms around his smooth upper torso, Ginny buried her face against his chest and breathed out a gentle exhale.

IiIiI

Sirius shivered a little, draping his arms around her too. He rested his chin atop her head, closing his eyes.

Ginny's eyes remained open and he could feel her eyelashes brush across his naked skin as she blinked. The musings that ensued in his mind only reminded him more of Vladimir

Nabokov's character in _Lolita_. Every moment with her in his arms he felt more and more like a perverted old man, but with each passing second he cared less and less.

IiIiI

OoOoO


	2. Could Not Have Been

_A/N: oooh... Stalker song! 'Every Breath You Take' By _The Police_. I love this song...Anyhoo. So, yeah, that was pretty heavy with the GinnyxSirius. For all of those wondering, they don't ever do anything...unless you want them to. But...they didn't. Not here, at least. Yes...More Ginny musings. Read on! Review! Thanks much._

_Disclaimer: I don't own...well...any of it. But the plot. Like I said. If I _did_ own it, I wouldn't be wasting my time on a $123.92 paycheck every two weeks._ _Buuuut...on to the story. _

_Note: (OiOiO) is the sign for a small time skip, either from one hour to another, from one day to another...you'll probably be able to tell._

Ginny shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts that plagued her. She didn't want to think about Sirius Black at that moment. She couldn't stand the thought of better days sometimes, and this was one of those times. Instead, she hurried to continue down the stairs.

Meandering into the library, Ginny set her wand down on the little table to the side of the sofa. Moving to one of the many shelves, she picked up a book that seemed relatively newly added. It was much less...used, it would seem. She wouldn't call it new, particularly, but it wasn't nearly as old as the other books that surrounded her.

'_Hairy Snout, Human Heart_'...No name for an author.

This in itself caught Ginny's attention and before long, she was engrossed in the aforementioned book.

Three sentences in and she was hooked, struck by the similarity to someone she knew. There was something about the way the author wrote that reminded her of someone's voice - someone she couldn't name off the top of her head. Something about him was eluding her but she couldn't quite place what, exactly, was causing her such frustration. The book was a biographical account of a werewolf. Ginny had never been one for biographies, dramatic tales, or romance novels. This was only partially the first two, but there was just that _something_ about it that kept her reading it. It was as if she were being told a tale...a lesson...by...by...

The creak of the front door disturbed Ginny and she instantly perked up out of her reverie, bringing the book into her lap and away from her face.

"Ginevra?" came a calm, gentle voice as smooth as Honeydukes' chocolate. Remus Lupin - now, again, Professor - peaked his head into the library. His tired, prematurely-aging face broke into a sad little smile as he saw her sitting there.

"A girl after my own heart," his body joined his head in the doorway and he approached her. "Would you care for a piece of chocolate?"

Setting the book down cover-up on her lap, she reached to take a bit of his offered sweet, smiling as she slipped a square into her mouth. Remus' eyes scanned over the book and he did not need to crane his head to read the cover. He knew it quite well.

"Interesting choice," he scratched out, clearing his throat with a polite, "excuse me," before sitting down beside her.

"It's amazing," she murmured after swallowing her chocolate. Remus' cheeks gained a slightly pink undertone, but he busied himself with getting more chocolate for the young witch.

"Really?" he asked as nonchalantly as he could manage. "Never read it."

"That's too bad," Ginny smiled, taking more of his chocolate as he handed it to her. "When I've finished it, I might just make you." Sticking out her tongue, she smiled, "Or I could read it to you. It isn't as if I've got much else to do."

Plopping the chocolate into her mouth, she looked from the book to Remus, who was looking anywhere but at her.

"Perhaps," he replied quietly. Clearing his throat again, his gaze returned to her. His face was set in a somewhat blank expression, though there was an entirely fake smile on his pale lips.

"So...where's Tonks?" Ginny asked after she finished her second piece of chocolate. Remus' face paled and Ginny regretted asking.

"She hasn't...?" Ginny raised the question, face contorting in concern.

Remus shook his head vehemently, raising a hand to stop such a notion, "No, nothing quite like that...but she's...we're not together any longer, Ginevra."

"Oh," was all Ginny could manage. She had half a mind to ask him who she'd given him up for, but he beat her to it.

"Charlie," Remus shrugged his shoulders. "It would appear I was right to begin with."

"What do you mean?" Ginny turned more towards him, lifting the book out of her lap and setting it atop her wand on the table next to her.

"I told her I was too old for her," he smiled sadly, lifting a slightly shaky hand to run it through his brown hair. Ginny remembered, back in her second year, when she had met him. The amount of gray there had almost tripled since then, but it did nothing to take away from his gentle handsomeness.

"I'm sorry, Remus," Ginny reached out and patted his hand gently. "I...I knew it wouldn't last, though. That sounds awful, doesn't it? Of course it does...what I meant to say was that...Tonks was...never...exactly who I pictured for you."

"Who you pictured for me?" Remus repeated, tilting his head a little.

"Well...she was so...immature," Ginny stuck out her tongue and shrugged a little. "I think, really, she wanted to...she was on the rebound from Sirius, so to speak. She was grieving, you were grieving - you two were probably the closest to him, save for Harry..."

Ginny trailed off as she saw the effect that her speech was having on Remus. With a heavy frown, she moved closer to him on the couch and took his hands. He looked up at her quietly - it was quite uncharacteristic for him not to move away from such an informal touch, as it was also highly abnormal for her to touch him so personally in the first place.

"Remus, I became close to him in only the span of that last summer. I know very little of what you're going through...but it is a terrible time now, beyond losing Sirius. You need someone more than ever, and simply because you did not find that someone in Tonks does not mean that that particular someone does not exist."

Remus was curious - what, exactly, was Ginny implying there? He did not question her though. He did not posses the strength in that singular moment.

Instead, he nodded his head a little before slipping his hands from hers. At this, she moved back a little, "Would you like something for breakfast? I haven't even approached the kitchen yet."

"I _am_ a little hungry, come to think of it," Remus cracked a little smile. Ginny was half-tempted to take the book with her, but decided to leave it where it was.

(OiOiO)

Ginny finally joined Remus at the table, resting her elbows on the table before she even thought of eating. She watched him first, moving his hotcakes around a little among the syrup that covered his plate. His coffee remained steaming and black, untouched thus far.

"Would you like cream?" Ginny spoke, breaking the relatively uncomfortable silence. She didn't know if it felt tense to him, but something had remained unspoken - or something had been said - that created a rift between them and a weight on both of their shoulders.

"Cream?" Remus looked up, echoing her last word as if he didn't quite know what she meant.

"Yes, for your coffee," she nodded in the general direction of his nondescript mug. Remus' eyes slowly trailed towards the place that she had referenced and he shook his head a little as if the entire situation had just dawned on him.

"Yes, please, Ginevra," he finally replied, sitting back. "I am sorry about that...I'm not entirely sure where my head is at the moment. I'm feeling a little under the weather."

"I know how that goes," Ginny offered a slight smile, casting the _Accio_ spell to summon the cream from the fridge.

Ginny watched Remus carefully as he poured the cream delicately into his coffee. He waited to put the second and third dose in, eyes tracing the swirls of white as they mingled with the brown that was as dark as the soil of Ginny's beloved garden.

"I love...to watch the formations..." Remus murmured off-handedly, finally stirring his drink.

"You should put some chocolate in it. It tastes better that way," Ginny smiled a little, finally noticing that she had no drink of her own. Tapping her empty mug, a deep brown liquid - identical to what Remus had been letting cool off - emitted from the end of her wand and poured into the aforementioned cup.

"Right you are. Would you like some?" Remus asked as he slipped the container of cream towards her, across the table. Finding his chocolate again, he broke off a piece for his coffee and held out a piece for hers.

Ginny accepted the chocolate but was obviously immersed in the cream clouds she had created.

Remus chuckled a little, watching her in earnest as he lazily stirred his own beverage. "My mother used to call me a cloud-watcher because I saw shapes in everything. She would say that I saw beauty in the ugliest thing. We had an arrangement of the most grotesquely brown tile on the kitchen floor that I swear looked like teddy bears."

Ginny smiled, laughing quietly as she added her chocolate to the fluid in front of her. This conversation - the simple closeness of childhood stories - made Ginny feel warmer than the chocolate and coffee mixture that slid down her throat.

"Mum always says that I'm a loon," Ginny snickered, "but she never says quite why."

Remus paused a moment, looking at her placidly before his lips parted in a grin and he started to laugh.

He continued to laugh and Ginny began to echo him simply because he was laughing so ridiculously hard.

At some point, his laughter quieted and mutated into a much more depressing sound. Near-silent sobs replaced his show of mirth and tears, not ones of joy, streaked smoothly down his cheeks.

"Merlin's beard, Ginn-...Ginevra, I'm sorry."

The little redhead wasn't sure what he was apologizing for, but she knew that it hadn't been needed.

"Remus," Ginny stated firmly - she meant no disrespect by calling him by his first name rather than his title, she simply wanted him to know that she was his friend in that instant, instead of his student.

Ginny pushed her chair back and stood, moving around to the older man. Most people would have reservations about such a situation, but Ginny had never had time for second-guessing herself. Pushing his plate and mug out of the way, she ignored the fact that some coffee spilled in the direction of her seat.

Remus shook his head, childishly trying to wipe his eyes of any possible wetness. His voice cracked as he made an attempt to send her off. Ginny, however, took both of his hands as she stood behind him and brought them to his chest. Wrapping her arms around him, she held him in a backwards embrace.

Though Remus had tensed originally, he soon became useless in the young witch's arms. His warm, wet face rested against her arm and she leaned a little so that she could more fully encase him in her person.

Remus was still trying not to cry, but when Ginny went as far as to kiss the top of his head, loosening one hand from his grasp to smooth down his hair in a motherly, comforting way, Remus lost it again.

As Remus cried in his quiet way, Ginny tugged the chair away from the table and moved hers around beside his so that she could take him more completely in his arms. Taking his hands first, she squeezed them gently.

This caused Remus to slowly raise his eyes to her gaze. His red-rimmed, amber eyes met her blue eyes - eyes that mirrored his own on nights of the full moon. This thought caused him to choke out another soft cry, and his eyes left hers almost immediately. Ginny frowned, moving to the edge of her chair. One of her hands moved to his back and the other found his cheek. She shivered a little at the feel of his unshaven stubble against the pads of her fingers as she stroked him, her other hand gently leaning him towards her. He gave in, both to the caress and the welcoming plea for him to lean on her.

His head nestled somewhere between her shoulder and her collarbone, dangerously close to her chest. Neither of them, however, had anything like that on their mind at the moment. Ginny was doing all she could to console someone that she never imagined would cry, especially in front of someone as insignificant as she. Remus was doing his best not to fall through a hole in the floor, attempting to reason with himself but at the same time give in to the tender way in which the youngest Weasley was handling him.

Ginny's hand slid up and down Remus' soft trembling shoulders slowly, her other hand still on his face. She wiped absently at a tear as it fell onto her hands, craning her neck down to kiss the top of his head again.

Tears pricked her own eyes then, when the situation really struck her. He wasn't crying entirely for Tonks and she knew that - that situation had simply triggered a chain reaction. No, that hadn't been it. It had been the memory of his childhood, of his parents. Of a simpler, easier time before he was afflicted with lycanthropy - before the night he had been bitten by Fenrir Greyback, the same man that had mauled Ginny's oldest brother the past year.

All of the horror of his life and of hers, of the world over the past hundred - three hundred, even - years came crashing down on her in that moment and she struggled to choke down her own sob.

Remus sat up as he felt the disturbance in her body and he drew slowly away from her touch. This simple action - the lack of his warmth beneath her hands, perhaps - caused Ginny herself to break, the floodgate that had been holding her tears back shattered like a sheet of thin glass and she sobbed shamelessly, as if she were a tiny child with a badly scraped knee.

Remus let out a strangled breath, his heart catching somewhere in his throat as he witnessed the strong young woman collapse in her own, solitary chair.

He wished he had words to say, something to help her. He had always been told that he had a way with speech, but at that moment the English language - and every other language, for that matter - failed him. So, against his better judgement, he tentatively reached out his own arms and wrapped them protectively around her shivering petite frame.

Ginny folded like paper into the comfort that his body offered, sobbing openly and without hesitance. After a moment, Remus gave up trying to be logical, trying to prove that he was stronger than he was, trying to pretend that he didn't need her at that moment just as much as she needed him.

Resting his wet cheek against the smooth hair at the top of her head, Remus let his eyes close as he rocked Ginny into an easy, heavily impregnated silence.

(OiOiO)

Not a single word was uttered between the pair until nightfall. The day was spent in each other's company, though they left the kitchen as soon as Ginny had dried her eyes. They read, they ate lunch, they played a quiet game of chess. Muggle chess. They cleaned up a little, cooked their dinner together, ate again, still in silence.

It was not until the two were cleaning up their dishes after their last meal of the day when Remus spoke. It wasn't entirely planned, as he had no idea that he would come to stand so close behind her. An arm ended up on either side of the younger woman as he slipped their plates into the sudsy water. Ginny's gasp as she felt him come behind her caused Remus to open his mouth and apologize.

"It's only me," Remus murmured, breathing his hushed tone against the top of her head. In a self-deprecating manner, Remus thought of the many reasons why 'it's only me' would not be comforting to Ginny.

She, however, proved those thoughts wrong as she let out her sharp intake of air and rested comfortably against his chest. "I don't know who, exactly, I thought it was...but I'm glad it was you, Remus."

IiIiI

Remus' stomach turned inside out and his heart did a belly-flop into his chest when she spoke to him, leaning so close to him. It was all he could do to not rest his hands on her waist, claiming her as his own. Instead, after he released the dishes, he stepped back slowly and stood beside her. Leaning his hip against the edge of the sink, he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm surprised, Miss Weasley, that you are choosing to do this the Muggle way."

Ginny visibly shrunk when he used a formal name for her instead of even Ginevra. "Why did you just call me 'Miss Weasley'?" she asked, setting the dish she was working on in the sink and turning a little to him.

Remus' face flushed a little and he looked quickly away before he could bring his gaze back to hers, "It is the way that the sentence left my mouth, Ginny."

IiIiI

The aforementioned individual let her shoulders drop out of their defensive position and she turned away from him to continue her task again. A sheet of crimson locks fell over her shoulder, hiding her face from view and blocked the hint of a smile that had taken hold of her lips.

IiIiI

Remus watched her carefully in an unassuming way, trying to hide his child-like fascination with the creature that was proverbially at his fingertips. The day that he had spent with her - in her arms, with her in his - had left him more confused than ever. He had not been but a moment away from her side, and though many sad and terrible memories had passed through his mind, it been one of the most amazing days of his life.

'_To borrow a phrase from that madman Nabokov_,' Remus thought, eyes roaming innocently over Ginny as she moved not half a meter from him, '_dim eyes, bright lips, ten years in jail if you only show her you are looking at her...Though, her eyes are always dancing...that Lolita child has nothing on this one, my sweet Ginevra._'

Remus tried fervently to take such thoughts out of his mind, but he couldn't rid himself of the feeling of her pressed against his chest. What he wanted was innocent enough - he wanted to hold her again, but not because she was crying for the dead. He wanted her to _want_ to be in _his_ arms because they were _his_. Even throughout his relationship with Tonks - although short-lived - he had found himself dreaming of someone else. There was never a face to His Girl, but he knew, internally, that it could not have been Nymphadora.

IiIiI

**Author's Corner**

**Remi**: You know, this is awfully somber in comparison to what I had originally had in mind. And much darker.

**Remus: **I'm a terrible old pervert!

**Sirius:** You haven't the faintest idea, Moony! Did you see what she's got me doing?

**Harry: **At least she doesn't have you (BLEEP We interrupt Harry Potter at this moment to censor any spoilers he may be giving away. BLEEP)!

**Remus: **(aghast) Rembrandt, I had no idea you were so...evil!

**Remi:**Oh, mon cher, the fun has only begun!

**End**


	3. Do It For Him

_A/N: I'm excited. Really, I am. Third chapter! And none of them have been under four pages yet! Wa-hoo!_

_Disclaimer: People like you are why people like me commit suicide, no kidding. No, I _don't_ own it. Except the plot. YOU CAN'T HAVE MY PLOT BUNNY! Mine...And Remus too...Only...not really. Damn J.K. Rowling...No, I was kidding! Aaaaaaggghh._

"Remus, was it really because she thought you were too old?" Ginny piped up, turning to look at him. He broke from his thoughts and shook his head, unfolding his arms and setting a hand beside him on the lip of the sink.

"I have the distinct feeling that it was partially due to...as Dumbledore so elegantly put it, my 'furry little problem'. She swore to me up and down that it was not a factor but I think, much like Miss Granger, it is an underlying prejudice towards my kind. I know neither of them, like many others, will ever admit to it."

"It's ridiculous," Ginny frowned, finishing off the last of the dishes quickly before setting them beside the sink. She dried them with her wand, as she continued, glancing at Remus every now and then to get her point across. "I would think, not only would Hermione be intelligent enough to know better, but she would have a common bond because her situation - that of a Muggle-born, I mean - is looked down upon by plenty people in the Wizarding World. It's absolutely ridiculous...And Tonks! Don't get me _started_ on _that_ situation, I mean-"

"Ginny," Remus murmured, the ghost of a smile passing over his lips as he reached out to touch her shoulder, signifying that she could stop. "Ginevra, I understand. But _you_ have got to understand that, as refreshing as it is to know that someone appreciates me for the man I am for the majority of the year and does not loathe me for the animal I am once a month, it is simply not practical to dislike everyone that dislikes me."

"But...it isn't _fair_ that people dislike you for something that you have no control over...something that you didn't ask for, that you didn't want...And they don't even know you! If they knew you, Remus, if they knew only half of what I do..." Ginny's cheeks reddened profusely and she focused on drying the dishes, murmuring an apology.

Remus' own cheeks took on some color, but he took her silence as a moment to reply. "Of course it isn't fair. If it _were_ fair, this war would not be happening. If people could tolerate other people, regardless of things that they have little or no control over...regardless of the way they are, then the world would be a perfect place. But they do not, and it is not."

Ginny stood back from her work, slipping her wand into her pocket. Leaning her back against the edge of the sink, she glanced in a sideways manner towards Remus, but soon was staring only ahead and down. "I am sorry for that more than anything, Remus. I understand the impossibility of the situation - even if Voldemort is defeated, there will be others, won't there? There is always going to be someone...some evil..."

"Yes, Ginevra," Remus breathed, stepping towards her, his hand slipping along the lip of the counter, meeting her hand before his feet stopped. "Yes, Ginny...There is always going to be some sort of evil for someone to fight. Be it Godric and Salazar, be it Dumbledore and Voldemort, be it Harry and Voldemort, or be it some unborn hero and some unknown dark lord. There is always a war waging in ourselves, among wizards and witches, among Muggles, among Muggles and wizards, among man and animal...There is, and always will be, a shadow when there is light."

"Why can't it just _stop_?" she asked, her naivety striking Remus as endearing. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to wrap his arms around her and protect her from the truth.

"Because we, as people, will not let it."

Ginny's long, slender fingers slipped into Remus' hand and his own elongated digits curved gently around hers. The female of the company lifted their hands from the counter to hold his more completely and she brought the pair in front of her, causing Remus to step forward a little. She hadn't pulled him, really, but he had known that he would need to be closer. Remus switched the hand that she held, sliding the one that she had possessed for a moment along the sink behind her back, standing at her side and letting her examine his left hand, held in both of hers.

She stretched her fingers out along his and leaned her shoulder softly into his chest, settling her head against the side of his neck and face. His fingers were longer than hers by a little, and had a slightly larger circumference. Regardless of this, she noted that he had the distinct hands of a piano player. She inquired as of this, and Remus responded with an answer that only half-surprised the young woman.

"There's an ancient harpsichord that was left to me by my parents...I've taught myself over my years since graduation."

Ginny smiled, turning a little. She dropped his left hand with her own and slid it behind him, holding onto his aforementioned hand with her right. His own right hand slid over her waist and no thought of impropriety entered his mind as she nestled against him in a relatively innocent stance.

"You're a very accomplished individual, I must say. You fight the bad guys, know how to play the harpsichord, and you're the author of a classic biographical account..."

Remus shook his head out of modest agreement, "I'm hardly acc-" and then it struck him. "...You know?"

Ginny snickered in good-natured humor, looking up at him with a devious smile, "I gathered as much, at least. At first, I simply knew that the author sounded familiar. I knew the way the words went together even before I read them...And, for the record, I don't think you're snout's all that hairy."

Remus was taken aback for a moment, but eventually he just laughed along with her. He hugged her briefly before resting his chin atop her head.

A few minutes passed in the calm silence of the moment before Ginny yawned. She then realized how late it had to have been and squeezed Remus' hand lightly, "It's about time we headed off to bed, I think."

IiIiI

Remus wasn't entirely sure if Ginny had been implying that they go together or not, but he knew that he wouldn't say one way or the other. He deeply _wanted_ to sleep with her in his arms - that was all, of course, as that was pushing every possible fiber of his entirely too-logical being to the edge of the realm of possibility...but he also knew that he _shouldn't_. He shouldn't want to, and he shouldn't do it.

IiIiI

And he wouldn't have to worry about making such a decision, because the fiery redhead would do it for him.

**Author's Corner**

**Remi:** Okay, so who wants smut?

**The Company: **(raises hands)

**Remus: **(puppy-dog eyes)

**Ginny**: Don't make me Jelly-Legs Hex you, Remi!

**Remi:** Well, I had actually been asking the readers...so, whatever they say, goes. I'll write a chapter just for you, lovies.

**The Company:** (cheers)

**End**


	4. Fire In Her Veins

_A/N: So, the verdict is in...this chapter shall be smut-tastic! Enjoy, dearies. ( Or deary, as I only had ONE review. Come _on_, people! I need some lovin'!) I would just like to apologize for how long this has taken to get out._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters herein affiliated with said Boy Wonder. I do, I believe, own the idea that will be mentioned with the remaining...what, two Horcruxes? I also own, as far as I am aware, the assumed knowledge that a fifteen-year-old Remus Lupin wrote _Hairy Snout, Human Heart_. I also own the list of names that have taken over the middle of Ginevra Weasley's title, again, as far as I know. Remus Lupin's middle name has always and will always been Johannes in stories written solely by yours truly. That...is all, I believe. Oh...and, considering the fact that 16 is the age of consent in England, my GinnyxRemus smut _isn't_ against JKR's wishes. So bite me. _Really_, if you're Remus or David Thewlis. Mmm. David._

The idea of begging to join Remus for the night meandered about Ginny's mind as she undressed from her cheap Muggle clothing into, well..._less_.

Slipping herself beneath the soft - spell-induced, mind you - sheets of her bed, Ginny closed her eyes in an attempt to sleep.

IiIiI

"You have officially lost your marbles, Moony," Remus muttered to himself as he walked away from Ginny's closed door for the eighth time. Padding back towards his own quarters he shoved his hands into his pockets much like a distraught teenager. He was half-tempted to knock on her door, a quarter-tempted to beat it down, and another quarter-tempted to run away - exactly like he was doing. Though, he wasn't quite _running_.

A dirty-old-man thought crossed his mind and he wished, for a moment, that he possessed James' (now Harry's) Invisibility Cloak. I will leave the reason up to your imagination.

Remus made one last attempt to turn around and open her door, but he stopped as soon as his hand reached out for the knob. Turning about one last time, he made his way towards his bedchamber. However, as he passed the stairs, he stopped mid-stride and looked down. He was a little thirsty when he thought about it - and, besides, it was not as if he was going to be able to sleep.

IiIiI

And, as coincidence would have it, neither was Ginny.

Rolling over onto her side, the aforementioned young witch stared into the darkness and tried to rationalize getting out of bed. She could simply meander about - would Remus still be

up? She would have to explain herself, wouldn't she? Her best bet would be to go in the direction of a lavatory, then.

Or the kitchen.

IiIiI

Remus had settled himself in front of the fireplace at the back of kitchen - well, it was more the dining room than the kitchen, but who's going to be picky? - with a mug of half-finished Butterbeer. He had no desire to become drunk, only sleepy. With the heat of the flames in front of him and the liquid warmth that cascaded down his throat, he figured that he was in pretty good shape. That was until, of course, his mind drifted to the witch that was - by his count - sleeping a few floors above him.

She was impossible, that's what she was. Impossible to understand, impossible to read, impossible to...touch?

"Why did you finish the sentence with that?" Remus asked himself, quizzically staring into the red-gold fire in front of him. The iron of the fireplace's cage looked menacingly like teeth and Remus had possessed no desire to reach his hand in it - to start the fire required only a small spell, of course.

"Why _touch_?" he mused before taking another light swig of his beverage. "Why not...hold? Why not...comfort? Why not...lo-..." Remus stopped, eyes wide. Settling his cup into his lap, he rested his head against the back of the chair.

With a heavy sigh, he let himself finish the word, "...-ve."

A million and three reasons listed in his mind as to exactly 'why not'.

First off, she had six brothers that were more or less capable of killing him in many more ways than he would like to imagine. At least one or two of them might seriously consider it.

Secondly...she was incredibly younger than he was. He had graduated from Hogwarts before she was even a glimmer of thought in Molly's and Arthur's eyes. He was old enough to be her father - wasn't that what she thought of him as, anyway?

IiIiI

That, my dear, would be called incest.

IiIiI

Third of all...It was _Ginny_. She cared about him, sure. She respected him, sure. But...even _like_ him as more than...anything he already was? What kind of insanity was that? It was too close to the full moon, that had to be it.

Ginny...perfect, innocent little Ginny. She could most definitely be the Little Red Riding Hood to his Big Bad Wolf.

Remus closed his eyes and a smooth, shimmering portrait of her filled his mind. A minute whimper escaped his lips and it was all he could do to not stand up and find the young woman, take her into his arms, and not let her go.

It was quite uncharacteristic for our resident werewolf to think such things - especially about our little lady.

Werewolf...

The word made Remus cringe a little as he let his eyes drift open. That was another reason for Ginny to be repulsed by anything he could offer her. He was too old, too poor, and too sick to be of any use to her. It was as he had told Tonks - it was almost verbatim. It meant the same things, but somehow more.

As much as Ginny denied disliking or even fearing Remus' furry little problem, Remus knew - or thought, at least - that she was simply saying such things for his consolation and comfort. He could not imagine that another person, like Dumbledore or his Marauding friends, could _not _care about his predicament. And especially not someone that he wished would so very desperately.

IiIiI

Remus, perhaps, thought too much.

Ginny made a vain attempt to creep about the house in silence - she nearly woke up the portrait of Mrs. Black, but she managed to avoid such a calamity.

As she reached the door at the top of the stairs that led into the kitchen, Ginny sighed heavily. Slipping her fingers over the handle, she pulled gently and then closed it behind her.

A soft creak from one of the overstuffed chairs in front of the roaring fire - had she left that going? - caught Ginny's attention as none other than Remus Lupin turned around.

The young woman let out a breath she hadn't even been aware of holding as she stopped two steps before the landing.

"What are you doing up, Miss Weasley?" Remus asked with a humorous tone, settling his mug of something - which smelled distinctly like Butterbeer - on the table beside him as he stood.

Ginny was, however, unable to answer. She remained completely still as he approached her, and only when he noticed her inability to reply or moved did he stop his trek in her direction.

"Ginevra?" Remus murmured, taking a tentative step closer.

At this, Ginny did look up. Smiling faintly, she shrugged a little in an effort to ignore the previous few moments.

"I could ask you the same thing," she murmured in an off-kilter reply to his earlier remark.

"Being comforted by the lovely fire that I was able to concoct," Remus began. He had every intention of stopping there, but his mouth ran away without him. "Would you care to join me?"

Before he could even think of taking it back, Ginny had nodded. "You wouldn't happen to have any chocolate or excess Butterbeer around, would you?"

He, of course, did.

IiIiI

By pure chance, when the two moved towards the flame, they happened to both settle on the loveseat at the same moment. Remus knew that standing now would seem awkward, as Ginny had lifted the mug of his from the table on her side to pass it to him. He had no legitimate reason to move, really.

And, honestly, why would he be complaining?

IiIiI

The tender touch of Ginny's bare, soft leg jolted Remus for a moment, and Ginny noticed it with a hidden smile. On both occasions when she reached to give and take a mug of Butterbeer, Ginny noticed the light shiver that passed over his face whilst her fingers grazed his.

At the giving of chocolate, Remus made a very soft sound that Ginny almost mistook for a moan. As she slipped it into her mouth, she saw his eyes on her lips. She was partially tempted to toy with him more after she had finished it - that part of her, of course, won.

"Remus?" she cooed, voice coated with velvety smoothness as her throat had been by the candy.

The older man looked up at her, shaking his head lightly as if he were coming from a daze, "...Yes?"

"May I have another piece?"

IiIiI

Remus paused; he debated, internally, coming up with an excuse as to why she could not, but the lecherous, dirty old man in him wanted to see her eat another piece. So, of course, with no idea of the consequences for such an innocent action, he offered her more.

He suppressed a shiver as her hand enveloped his, watched dutifully as the tips of her fingers took the confection from his, and let his eyes trail up her torso - subtly and, for the most part, unnoticed - to the point where she darted out her tongue to lick a little at the chocolate square.

IiIiI

Ginny reveled in the fact that he was so engrossed with her, so much so that she drew it out. She would lick it a bit at first, nibble off a bite, let it rest on her lips. She made a face of ecstasy as she savored the delicious substance, moaning in a slightly childish way as she finally licked her fingers of any residue.

Looking over at him as if all was normal, she inquired about Butterbeer.

IiIiI

What would she do with _this _new toy?

IiIiI

That question would soon be answered as Ginny sipped a little of the flavorful beverage. Somewhere along the line, her hand over-tipped the mug, spilling the sticky, warm liquid down the front of her shirt. The shirt she had put on to leave her room. The ridiculously light-colored-damn-near-see-through-already shirt that she had put on.

She had, of course, intentionally-but-impossible-to-tell let the contents of her mug spill onto her shirtfront. She had to get this silly evening started somehow, didn't she?

With a faint curse, Ginny made to stand up. Remus was caught between staring at her and laughing - somewhere between being his normal, casual self and letting the other side take control. He remained walking the line for some time, simply watching her quietly as she cleaned herself up. It had begun, however.

As Ginny moved to re-situate herself after a nearly-perfect attempt at fixing her shirt (it was still painfully transparent), her knickers-covered legs opened just a wee bit. A wee bit enough for Remus, who had been catching some sort of new scent, to pick up on and realize exactly what he was smelling.

Her musky, womanly scent of...well, quite frankly, sex seemed to run head-first for his sensors. It didn't help that he had enhanced ones at that.

IiIiI

Ee gads, he was reacting. If he didn't get up, or she didn't get up, or someone didn't _do_ something, he was likely to go barking mad right there.

Let me clarify that - if he didn't _stand_ up on his two feet and walk his handsome little ass up those kitchen stairs, into his bedroom, and wank off until daybreak...something was going to happen.

IiIiI

And, what d'ya know...something _did_.

Sick of the silence and the warm feeling that was crawling under her skin, Ginny spoke up. Quietly, at first, testing the waters.

"Professor Lupin...Remus...I don't know how terribly obvious it is to you that I'm...that I would like to..."

"..._painfully_ obvious," Remus corrected with a grunt. It was true - the tent in his pants throbbed.

Ginny blushed, looking not at Remus but at her own lap. Which made her picture things, which, in turn, had her looking elsewhere. And so on and so forth. She couldn't close her eyes,

because she would picture _other_ things. So, instead, she looked back into Remus' eyes - or, at least, the side of his head, as he wasn't exactly looking at her.

"To be quite frank," she said softly, afraid of his possible reaction. He would be shocked. He would be aghast. He'd tell her to go to her room, that he'd need to leave that evening. That it was impossible. That she was a child.

"To be entirely honest..." with a sigh, Ginny stood. She moved, stood in front of him, between his slightly-parted legs. Closer. Closer...Oh god, not so close...

Leaning over, the cool wetness of her shirt pressing against his thin flannel button-down pajamas, she made long-awaited contact with his lips.

IiIiI

Remus, like the idiot he was, sat there for a moment like a dead fish. Or at least, that's what he'd have you believe.

It took him that minute to realize she was in his grasp - at his fingertips - attached to his _lips_ for Merlin's sake...not his hips...no, not yet...

When the realization shook him, his hands moved to her waist. He had to pull her off - this was wrong, he couldn't...god, he couldn't...Dumbledore, help him..

Instead of pulling her away, his hands slid beneath her shirt, pulling _it_ away.

The kiss broke for the moment of time that it took to remove her aforementioned piece of clothing. In that moment, their eyes met. This started something entirely different.

IiIiI

"Oh, fuck me, Remus..." Ginny cursed, not trying to tell him to grind his hips into hers, but in a sort of 'oh shit, what've I done' sort of way. Slouching back, Ginny's hand lifted to her forehead and she stared passed the older man.

IiIiI

Remus, who was caught almost literally red-handed with the younger witch's shirt still in his hand and his other unmoving on her waist, looked up at her imploringly.

"Do not tempt me," he growled low. One of his legs hooked behind her knee and settled precariously there.

IiIiI

Ginny stopped, eyes wide. He reminded her, in that moment, of Sirius. No...no, not of Sirius. Of Snape. Sirius was never so...threatening? So demanding? Sirius was too afraid of her

in all her...whatever it was he had said. Mystery? Glory? _Pfft_. Probably illegality. But she wasn't illegal now. She was fine.

She was dandy.

And god, was she randy.

After a pause for reflection, Ginny decided she was being stupid. She had started something and she would damn well finish it. It wasn't as if she didn't _want_ to finish it. She would have to be completely bonkers to _not _want to finish what she had started.

"I'll tempt you all I want," she replied in a quiet, deep whisper as she leaned over him again, catching his earlobe between her teeth.

He, of course, could not entirely withstand this. Dropping her shirt, his hand was back on her waist, back on the rim of her jeans. If she wasn't careful, they would end up in shreds on the floor.

IiIiI

That had happened once before...but that is another story for another chapter with another character. As it were, Remus was trying his damndest to avoid tackling her to the floor and fucking her senseless. Pardon the vulgarity.

Instead, of course, he just less-than-patiently removed every article of clothing between her skin and his touch. This led to his hand somewhere that made Ginny almost scream - in the best possible way, of course.

A fiery little triangle of hair peeked at Remus after he removed her skivvies, causing him to groan as the younger magical individual stood back. Remus' eyes swept over her body and he could've sworn he started drooling.

"Gin," he rasped, his hands on the swell of her hips as he looked at her full-on. "I'm going to give you this last...chance to walk away..."

It was terribly out of character for him to say something so...so demanding. So _commanding_, but he did it.

"If you will regret this, gather your-"

"Remus," she murmured, settling her arms cross-wise against her naked stomach, a hand settling on each of his, "would you do me a favor and use your mouth for something other than trying to get me to leave off?"

The man smiled sheepishly and then wolfishly as he slid himself out of the chair and onto his knees before her. Ginny's eyes widened as one of his hands slid from her waist towards her naked thigh and inwards. Upwards.

IiIiI

Ee gads, as he moved his fingers so spread the fire in her veins.

**Author's Corner**

**Remi:** (clears throat)...Muahahahahaha!

**The Company: **Not. Funny.

**Remi:** Well, I thought so. And I'm writing it. I'm the one with the Mystical Keyboard. Deal with it, bizanazitch. Yo.

**Author's Alter-Ego:** Yeaaaah. No.

**End.**


	5. Trust Me

_Author's Note: Oh yeah. Another chapter._

_Disclaimer: No... Just, no. I don't. Don't ask. No._

_I _said_ no._

Both of the current residents of the most Noble and Ancient House of Black - it was rather a rank and ignoble house, to be entirely honest, but that isn't really my decision - came to the unanimous (not difficult with only two people, if you ask me) conclusion that the loveseat was far too small.

Remus' legs stretched beyond the far armrest, one arm bent at the elbow with his hand beneath his head, and his other looped gently around Ginny's shoulders. The aforementioned witch had one leg draped loosely over her partner's lower torso, one arm placidly stationed across his chest, her other arm beneath his curved upper torso, and her last limb - her second leg - stretched to where her foot rested on the opposing armrest.

They were, of course, entirely naked.

And entirely exhausted.

IiIiI

"I'm surprised," Remus' voice was smooth and low, his breath barely stirring the hair on Ginny's head as he spoke against it.

"About what?" she cooed, her eyes half-lidded from sleep and ecstasy.

"I managed to tame you," his long fingers traced idly over the bare, alabaster skin of Ginny's shoulders and he left angel kisses on her forehead and eyelids.

"You think that, do you?" Gentle laughter left the girl's partially parted lips as she nuzzled against him. She'd let him believe it.

"Well, I'd say you were trying rather hard," Remus chuckled, hugging the smaller girl's body to his.

"I was not... you just saw it that way because you wanted me so much, you dirty old man," the youngest of the Weasley clan tilted her head, kissing the underside of Remus' chin.

This, however, did not sit well with Remus. Even though Ginny had said the words with a playful air, Remus didn't like the sound of it.

Ginny noticed.

IiIiI

Remus stiffened - only slightly - against Ginny's limp and placid body and his fingers came to a halt on her arm. He _was_ old.

Merlin's _beard_ was he old.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, Ginny sat up on the couch, turning as much a she could to face him. "Remus, don't. You told me to stop if I wanted to, and I didn't. You should have known to do the same. _Do not_ tell me that you regret it."

Ginny paused and Remus saw her eyes soften - moisten, maybe - "Unless you mean it."

Remus' own eyes widened and he bit his tongue, clenching his jaw a little. "Ginevra, I..."

"Oh, fuck me," Ginny cursed like she had earlier, slapping herself in the forehead and turning away.

IiIiI

She should not have had to hear this, should not have had to be subjected to this. It wasn't fair, and it was stupid.

That's what Ginny thought, at least.

"Don't _Ginevra _me, _Professor_ Lupin," she spat, standing from the couch. Remus had sat up and was now resting against the back of a couch. With her hands on her hips, she shook her head, "Why did I think you were different? I suppose you _human heart_ is your defect. Or maybe it's _mine_."

Top row of teeth set defiantly hard down against her bottom row, Ginny neglected to collect her clothes or wand and left the kitchen. She ignored the man that called her name - only once - and was stalking up the stairs before Remus even, really, realized that she was gone.

IiIiI

"What have I done?"

Shaking his head in a dejected manner, Remus leaned over and settled his face in his hands. His elbows were on his knees and he realized how very naked he was. Normally this would have bothered him, but he didn't have the strength to think of it.

Did that count as Ginny walking out on him? That would be two women in one week.

He'd never been much of a ladies man.

IiIiI

"Bloody hell," the redhead girl-child cursed loudly, slamming her bedroom door and throwing herself onto her bed.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this!" she screamed, burying her face into her pillow. Sitting up, she rested her head - none-too-delicately - against the wall beside her bed. Wrapping her naked arms around equally bare legs, Ginny huffed. "With Snape I _knew_ I wasn't anything but a night... with Sirius..."

Her voice trailed off and she sniffled a little. How she _wished_ Sirius could be around for this... but, at the same time, not. If Sirius were around, it wouldn't have happened. She had, yes, wanted to be with Remus for ages... but if Sirius were around, she would have been with _him_. Or at least not alone with Remus.

"With Sirius, I knew what to expect," she finished, tilting her head back to look up at the ceiling that loomed above her. "With Remus..."

Hitting the back of her head against the wall, she squeezed her eyes shut and hugged herself tightly.

"_It wasn't supposed to be like this_!" she spat, clenching her jaw hard enough to make it sore.

"But... it is."

IiIiI

Really, Ginny hadn't given Remus time to reply. He hadn't had _time_ to stop her, to reach out and pull her back to the couch, to his arms. He wanted to. He wanted her to be next to him, resting her long limbs across him. He wanted to tell her what he was thinking and have her soothe his fears, smooth over any possible arguments as to _why_ it was a bad idea.

IiIiI

No tears had spilled from Ginny's eyes as she sat on her bed, holding herself tightly in a ball of naked witch flesh and disgruntled teenage girl. None spilled now as she opened her eyes, watching the door open.

Silently scrutinizing the peace-offering of her clothing and wand, Ginny said nothing as the older man settled noiselessly beside her.

Pressing his back against the wall beside her, his arm made contact with hers and neither of them noticed much, or seemed to. Inside, Ginny was reeling. What right did he have?

"You left," he murmured, tipping his chin up, turning his head, and looking at her curiously.

"Did you expect me to stay?" she snarled, not looking at him.

With a quiet, defeated sigh Remus shook his head, "I wanted you to."

Ginny squeak-gasped, eyes widening a moment. Turning her own head she peered at him with eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Then why did you-"

"Ginevra... My dearest Ginevra," he let out a breath somewhere between a sigh and a murmur of praise, "I am _old_. I am _sick_. I am_ poor_. I am no-"

"You are _good_. You are _loving_. You are _right_," she replied, shaking her head vehemently.

Remus raised a hand, lifting a single finger to her lips. "Shh, darling, let me finish. I am nowhere near the man that deserves you. I do not know...if what happened between us meant anything to you or-"

Turning her head, she spoke quickly, "Remus, of _course _it did!"

Smiling appreciatively - he felt multitudes better when he heard her say that - Remus brushed his thumb over her lips and then her cheek. "I am glad... but _please_ let me finish, Ginevra. I am _glad_ beyond measure that it meant something to you, as it meant... far too much to me. I have never felt more...good, loving, and right as I did in the moments that I was with you. That is how I _always_ feel with you, Ginevra, and I..."

Remus stopped, clearing his throat. He looked away a moment, absently wiping his eyes once, "...I want you to rationalize this... I want you to make it all right. I want it to _be_ all right."

IiIiI

Ginny could have died when she heard that. She sincerely _felt_ like she had. And gone to heaven, if there was such a place.

"It is, it is!" she exclaimed, leaning onto him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders and neck. The both of them fell over a little in a mass of naked limbs and they laughed, too.

Kissing his cheek, Ginny was grinning like a fool, "The amount of times the earth has revolved around the sun since I was brought into this world is irrelevant - the government doesn't care any more, and no one else matters... I've already told you... You _aren't_ sick. Not to me. No matter what you have to say to me on this subject, you will never _ever_ convince me of anything but that. And you're talking to _me_ about being poor?"

Ginny smiled, hugging him tightly before she kissed the side of his mouth, "It's manageable. Trust me, Remus."


End file.
